The United States of America is a country that was founded on the basic principles of freedom and liberty. This often leaves it with a reputation as a land full of hope, where anything is possible as long as one is willing to work hard for it. Unfortunately, this idea is not always true. I was born a slave and did not have the privilege of freedom, and liberty. I represent the failures and successes of the American dream because of the color of my skin and the hardships that come with it.Being born a free man is no doubt a god given right. And in a country that goes through great trouble to make sure each specific right is spelled out, it would seem obvious that the freedom to belong to yourself was one of those rights. This is why it is so hypocritical that slavery existed in America. I was born a slave and shipped around the country just as a piece of property. From the time I was a young boy I had an idea of what being free was and that is what I should have been, even though all I was seeing was the cruel ownership of the black people. “The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest; He would whip her to make her scream, and whip her to make her hush; and not until overcome by fatigue. Would he cease to swing…” A young man of 6 or 7, I should not have been exposed to this brutality such as white children did not.In the Declaration of Independence one of the most famous portions goes as follows: “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed to certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” This pursuit of happiness is a very important part of the American dream, for it is the result of all the rights that were laid out. By being given these rights a person is free to pursue happiness in their life, whatever happiness may be to them. It is very ir...
